Son's MySpace page indeed could hamper his work prospects

DEAR DR. BROTHERS: When my son was home for the holidays, I discovered something I wish I'd never seen. He left the office computer on to go out with his friends, forgetting to sign off his social-networking page. I was horrified not only by the screen name he chose (2 Drunk 2 Care), but also by all the pictures he posted of himself and all his friends partying at college. He's agreed to delete the account, but I know how easy it is for him to start a new one. He's a senior in college; how do I convince him that this is a really bad idea? -- C.T.

DEAR C.T.: As social-networking Web sites become more popular, we seem to be running into this problem much more frequently these days. Kids are using the most extreme nicknames and photos in order to one-up each other in the cacophony of the online world. It's the 21st century equivalent of hanging out in the parking lot.

But you have every right to be concerned about your son's choice to present himself in this fashion. It's one thing to assume a "cool" screen name, and quite another to post your picture so that people can put a face to a name. Your son needs to realize that the Internet is a big place, and that his online profile is being shared not only with his group of friends, but with the entire world! Perhaps a cold dose of reality would wake him up. Tell him that prospective employers have the same Internet access that he does, and that it's really not very hard for them to do a little research before they hire. He may be surprised to find that the "adult world" is Internet-savvy. His future may depend on just a click of the mouse.

DEAR DR. BROTHERS: To say that I am an on-the-go kind of guy would be an understatement. I eat my breakfast standing up while I e-mail clients, all while checking the kids' homework from the previous night. I schedule appointments on my cell phone on the way to work, while listening to the latest financial forecasts on the radio. On the way back home, I'm back on the cell to confirm those appointments, and I fire up my laptop before bed to work on some spreadsheets. My spouse has asked how long I can keep this up without burning out. Is this behavior psychologically healthy? -- J.G.

DEAR J.G.: Since you seem to be pressed for time, I'll give you the short answer upfront: No. Just reading your letter not only stressed me out, but I think it raised my blood pressure as well!

Just because we live in a time when we always can be reached doesn't mean we have to be! We think if we don't get an immediate reply to an e-mail, something must be seriously wrong. Remember when it would take days to get a response with snail mail? Or when the news was broadcast only a few times a day? The world still turned, even though we didn't have immediate access. When you split your time so quickly and thinly, someone's bound to get a smaller slice. When it comes to checking your children's homework, let's hope it's not them who are left with the smaller piece. You need to start setting some serious boundaries on your time -- sometimes it's necessary to unplug ourselves for a bit to get our priorities in working order. And all that technology you use probably can use a little break, also.